The abject failure of the SP-BSP-RLD alliance to dent the BJP vote bank and the defeat of Congress president Rahul Gandhi in Amethi may have stolen the show in the just-concluded Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh, but one cannot miss Gorakhpur Lok Sabha constituency where the massive support to the BJP redeemed the image of state Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

In Gorakhpur, Bhojpuri film actor Ravi Kishan, a last-minute choice for the BJP, polled over seven lakh votes, the highest ever by any candidate contesting the seat since 1952 when the first Lok Sabha election was held in the constituency.

Ravi Kishan won the election with a margin of a little over three lakh votes over his closest rival, Ram Bhuwal Nishad of Samajwadi Party, who polled about 3.15 lakh votes.

Ravi Kishan managed to get about 60 per cent of the total votes polled.

The victory of Ravi Kishan is a remarkable turnaround for the BJP and for Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who had lost the seat to BSP supported SP-RLD candidate in the bypoll in March 2018. 

The success of the alliance in 2018 in Gorakhpur Lok Sabha bypoll, a seat held by Chief Minister Adityanath for two decades, had cemented the Akhilesh Yadav-Mayawati alliance and also raised many questions on the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

This election, Yogi Adityanath led a series of moves, including getting the 2018 winner of Gorakhpur Lok Sabha bypoll, Praveen Nishad, to join BJP. Praveen Nishad, who belongs to the Nishad Party and claims support of the Nishad community in eastern Uttar Pradesh, was all set to be announced as the SP-BSP alliance candidate from Gorakhpur. But, a month before polling, Nishad and his party switched over to the BJP. Praveen was offered a ticket from the neighbouring Sant Kabir Nagar and he has been elected from there.

The second big factor in this remarkable victory is that Yogi Adityanath virtually camped in Gorakhpur for 15 days before polling, addressing a host of meetings, rallies and making interactions. Yogi pitched this election as a battle of prestige for the Gorakhnath temple, of which he is the mahant (chief priest).

“Winning the Gorakhpur seat was a difficult task and a big mission for me. I want to thank the entire people of Gorakhpur for showing their trust in me and helping me win. I kept thinking of Yogi Adityanath in the midst of people of Gorakhpur,” Ravi Kishan said after his victory, acknowledging the role of the UP Chief Minister in his victory.

The film actor now plans to make a biopic on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Bhojpuri so that the speakers of Bhojpuri language may know more about the leader.